Let Me Be a Book Nerd for Just a Minute

September 8, 2015

When I woke up and looked on my Facebook feed first thing (yes, I'm addicted to social media), I saw that my favorite author, Margaret Atwood, was coming to Northern California for a speaking engagement.  ONE stop on her tour in all of California, and it's just three hours away.  This is the author of my all-time favorite book, The Handmaid's Tale, which is the topic of my Master's thesis in literature, and which I have introduced countless students to over the years in my AP Lit classes.  It combines dystopian fiction and feminism, two of my favorite things!  It has truly been one of the most influential books in my life. Naturally, I had to see if there was any way I could swing it to go.  I don't know that I'll ever have another opportunity like this, as I've never seen her tour anywhere around here before.  (I think typically she stays in Canada and the U.K., and possibly the East Coast for most of her speaking engagements.)

I think you know where I'm going with this.  I will be attending an event in October where she is promoting and speaking about her new book coming out.  My ticket grants me access to up-front seating, a copy of the new book, and priority place in line for the book signing afterward.  Seriously--I'm giddy!  In just over a month, I will get to meet Margaret Atwood!

If I Go Missing....

April 23, 2009

I got to work today, and discovered that most of us are getting pretty significant schedule changes in our class line-ups next year. For me, that probably means losing a World Literature class and picking up another AP class. The thing is, the AP classes write about triple the amount the regular senior classes do (and ALL of them turn in everything, so I can't even count on lessening my reading due to apathy), so I'm afraid I'm going to be buried next year. I have a tough enough time getting through all the AP essays with just one class and giving them all the adequate feedback and input they need to be prepared for the exam. Don't get me wrong; I LOVE my AP class. I'm just afraid I will love another one a little bit less.

The most annoying thing about it all is that admin. asked us all for our requests for schedule for next year, then essentially threw them out the window. I know how hard it is to make a schedule; I was dept. chair for twelve years. But so far, I don't know of anyone whose request has been honored. Fine, but then don't ask like it matters, if it doesn't. The guy whose AP class I'm picking up specifically asked NOT to have to give up his class, and I specifically asked to keep just the one that I currently teach. Since I already have three different classes that I teach, trying to also keep up with the additional paperwork load of double the amount of AP students might just send me over the edge.

If I go missing next school year, try looking under the mountain of papers in my classroom...